51N4E

Invitation — @51n4e is pleased to present its new Chapter, Negotiating Infrastructure, tomorrow at @librairie_volume NEGOTIATING INFRASTRUCTURE — Book Presentation Wednesday May 6, 2026, 19h30 Volume Bookstore, 47 Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth, 75003 Paris Free entry, subject to capacity ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ EN: Issue 4 of the Chapter series brings together research and practice to explore how infrastructure can act as a driver of urban transformation. Developed through the work of 51N4E and NEWROPE – Chair of Urban Transformation at ETH Zürich, the publication reflects on an infrastructural approach to design. Through eight projects by 51N4E and four design perspectives developed by NEWROPE, the publication makes a case for investing in an infrastructural shift within urban design. Rather than starting from scratch, this approach builds on existing conditions, addresses multiple challenges simultaneously, and leaves space for future adaptations. Both sensitive and bold, pragmatic and imaginative, an infrastructural design approach offers stability in complex environments while opening pathways for new uses and the appropriation of spaces. By presenting a diverse range of projects and reflections, this issue demonstrates how design can expand its impact, and how infrastructure can move beyond functionality to embody shared cultural and societal values. @51n4e , @newrope.world , @rubypress_books @freekpersyn @chloe_nachtergael @seppedeblust @mickaelminghetti @_matthieu_moreau_ Pictures by @sepidehfarvardin #NegotiatingInfrastructure #51N4E #NEWROPE #UrbanTransformation

Last Saturday, we organized a participatory workshop for the Simonis project, inviting residents and users to actively engage with the future of the site. Through a hands-on exercise, participants created their own scenarios for the site, by combining different design options for the redevelopment of the esplanade, pavilions, roads and station access. For those who couldn’t attend, an online survey has been launched by Beliris to gather your feedback. Your input will help guide the project across all aspects, including urban planning, architecture, safety, sustainability, mobility, and community engagement. In collaboration with @citytools_urbanism , @tractebel_company and @plantenhoutgoed bv, we combine expertise from our work on Adaptive Infrastructure and Civic Design to generate an inclusive and ambitious design process in which different voices are heard. Image 1 © @belirisforbrussels Photos by @ayadrawings_

We are pleased to share that the building permit application for Westpark has been submitted, advancing the project into its next phase. ‌‌‌‌‌‌The project, situated in Anderlecht, transforms a former office building into a residential building set within a new park. Conceived as a shift from an inward-looking corporate site to an open and inhabited part of the city, the project brings together housing, shared spaces, and landscape in a new relationship between architecture and everyday life. ‌‌‌ The proposal builds on the reuse of the existing structure and façade materials, while adding a new rooftop extension of 3 floors. By carving a circular opening of nearly 25 metres into this optopping, daylight is brought deep into the building, allowing the new homes and collective spaces to benefit from light, air, and a stronger connection to the sky. What was once a deep office floorplate is reimagined as a porous and generous living environment. ‌‌‌‌‌ Around the building, the former office grounds are transformed into a layered park landscape: a place of movement, biodiversity, encounter, and calm. Together, building and park redefine the site as a residential environment that is both collective and open, where architecture and landscape work as one. ‌‌‌‌‌‌ This project is a collaboration with @m_gineers (part of RECAST), @plantenhoutgoed and @advista.be for GML Estate

Together with an interdisciplinary team we proposed a future vision for the Quartier Saisons of La Défense in Courbevoie. Starting from its unique location on the edge of the Seine and the historic axe connecting the centre with the business district, we proposed an incremental approach based on re-use of the existing urban fabric, the renaturalisation of the edges and place for a radiant new attractor offering visitors and inhabitants an engaging entrance to the district. On the existing plinth, the proposal focused on requalifying the public spaces and renovating the existing residences. On the edges, new and experimental programmes were proposed that can accompany users from the street-level to the plinth. ‌‌‌‌ The proposal was a collaboration between 51N4E, @lafayette_architectes , @setec_tpi , @etablissement_paysage , @atmos.lab , VraimentVraiment @vrmtvrmt , EPPC and Trans-Faire, as part of a competition organised by Paris La Défense, where it received the second place. Congratulations and good luck to RSHP in this ambitious urban project.‌‌‌‌‌ Image 1 rendering by tiptop Picture 3,5,7 by @sepidehfarvardin

We are proud to share that our team, consisting out of 51N4E, @spatialdesigntractebel and H+N+S @hnslandscape , has been selected by the city of Leuven (@leuven ) in the Vlaams Bouwmeester Open Call competition for the Knoop Kessel-Lo. Our proposal connects the mobility node to the surrounding neighborhoods and regional urban landscapes, while also creating a new public space for encounter and civic life near the station. It stood out “due to a smart approach, close attention to important details, and clear choices that form the basis for the continuation of this ambitious urban project”. Project for Stad Leuven, co-financed by the European Union. Drawing by @51n4e photo 1 @leuven photo 2 and 3 by Isabelle Pateer for Vlaams Bouwmeester @isabellepateer @teamvlaamsbouwmeester

Join us in March for the presentation of our latest publication, “Negotiating Infrastructure” in Zürich and Brussels!   Drawing on the work of 51N4E and NEWROPE — the Chair of Urban Transformation at ETH Zürich — this fourth edition of the ‘Chapter’ series examines how infrastructure can become a powerful driver of urban transformation.  Through eight projects by 51n4e and four design perspectives developed by NEWROPE the publication makes a case for investing in an infrastructural shift within urban design. Rather than starting from scratch, this approach builds on existing conditions, addresses multiple challenges simultaneously, and leaves space for future adaptations.  12.03.2026 – 19:00  ETH Zürich Oerlikon, ONA E7 (Fokushalle)  Neunbrunnenstrasse 50  8050 Zürich  19.03.2026 – 18:30  TRACK, Brussels (@track.brussels ) 76 Rue du Progrès / Vooruitgangstraat 76  1030 Brussels  Inside Brussels North Station  Editors: Freek Persyn (@freekpersyn ), Seppe De Blust (@seppedeblust ) & Chloé Nachtergael (@chloe_nachtergael Publication team: Roxane Le Grelle (@roxane.l.g ) & Victor Angelard (@victorangelard ) Graphic design: @studio_otamendi Drawings: Chloé Nachtergael Insert: @newrope.world Publisher: @rubypress_books *The publication will be on sale after the presentation Pictures by @sepidehfarvardin

The Greencoast Hotel project, designed by CENTRAL + 51N4E + iRl, is our response to the rapidly increasing tourism and growing pressure on the south coast of Albania. Initially, the hotel was conceived as part of a resort development, built on artificially raised land retained by a reinforced terra-mesh wall constructed on the beach. Rather than building on the artificial land, we proposed relocating the hotel in front of the new retaining wall. We saw this move as an opportunity to transform this massive wall from a scar in the landscape into an exceptional location. Imagined as if built within a quarry, the hotel becomes an infrastructure connecting different atmospheres and landscapes. The building itself is designed as an artificial rock formation — a landscape with a materiality that resonates with Albania’s geological imagination — and is literally constructed using locally quarried materials. In this exceptional setting, the hotel was conceived as a collection of houses connected by open-air streets and squares, rather than dormitory rooms bound by corridors and halls. Instead of a generic repetition of units extending endlessly without hierarchy, these buildings — varying in scale and function — define public spaces, generating a complex with greater porosity and a stronger sense of community. The project is conceived as a Mediterranean village: a space that welcomes diversity, grows in layers, and can transform over time. This attitude allows for the creation of adaptable infrastructure with the potential to evolve — perhaps one day becoming a school, a holiday camp, or even an actual village. On the coast, in relation to touristic development, it makes sense to view architecture through the lens of adaptive reuse and to consider new constructions as pieces of open-ended infrastructure whose function and program will inevitably change. Pictures by @maxdelv Image 5 : Hallac Monastery, Cappadocia, found in Architecture without architects, Bernard Rudofsky, 1963 In collaboration with @51n4e + @iri_architecture For @greencoast_hotelmgallery

We are pleased to share our participation in two exhibitions currently on view: ‌‌‌‌‌ Free Play at Laguna México @lagunamx , on view until March 3 as part of Art Week 2026 in the exhibition Reúso, co-curated by María Muñoz and Edgar Rodríguez. A reinterpretation of an installation first created in Brussels in 2023 with the @meow.collective.brussels , Free Play proposes a playful module inspired by the game of Pitz. Through recycled sacks filled with reused materials, the installation creates a gradual transition from the intensity of the nearby market to the calmer atmosphere of La Laguna, offering visitors a space to slow down, play, recenter themselves, and rest. ‌‌‌‌ Spaces in Dialogue, co-curated with @akpt_shqiperia2030 will be open from 13–28 February at the Pyramid of Tirana – the Yellow Cube. The exhibition considers the architectural competition as a collective tool and a space for dialogue. At its center, a monumental installation brings together all competition booklets into a single continuous volume; a work by Thomas Demand reveals the invisible moments of the design process; and a consultation room offers free access to the original booklets — selected or not. Together, these three elements present architecture as a relational process shaped by debates, hypotheses, and multiple possible futures. ‌‌‌ Curatorial Teams: Free Play: @dieterleyssen , @pauline.omnes_ , @freekpersyn Spaces in Dialogue: Pauline Omnes, Freek Persyn, @johan.anrys ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌ Photographers: Photos 1–2–4 by @edgararl Photos 5–7 by @aldo_bonataa

In the heart of Kortrijk lies Belgium’s first pedestrian shopping centre, a testament to the city’s ambitions. However, in the urban evolution flux and under the influence of climate change, we find ourselves questioning these spaces. The project of Centrum Kortrijk emerges as one of resilience and playfulness. Guided by a masterplan, we have identified five key locations as focal points for an adaptation of the streetscape. These areas were transformed into unpaved spaces, enhanced with greenery, and elements that foster encounter and play. This project’s vision became clear through numerous meetings and workshops involving diverse stakeholders. Notably, two open-air temporary installations and three murals, provided platforms for experimentation and engagement. Find out more on our newly published project page on our website!  This project is a collaboration with @plantenhoutgoed , Common Ground, and @nathaliedewez for the @stadkortrijk Photos by @stadkortrijk , @sepidehfarvardin and @ayadrawings_

Since the initial project from Coutens and Polak, the Ceria campus has grown within a triangle of infrastructural borders. This development took place without questioning the overall quality of its landscape, its identity, and its relationship towards the borders. Commissioned by the COCOF, the new school complex is located on the remaining available plots of the campus and aims to reinforce the identity of the site at its edges and to improve the legibility of a diverse and rich educational landscape.  By reducing the footprint of the new buildings to a minimum, the project frees up space for the development of a park. The two new schools shape a built backdrop along the Ring and introduce a new façade for the campus towards the canal: a horizontal school close to the water and a vertical school facing the Ring. The rest of the site is conceived as a park, where a cafeteria and a sports hall stand as pavilions. Following the existing grid paths of the site and the logic of the existing façade, the project becomes an extension and an update of the original Ceria campus model. In collaboration with: V+, @msa.brussels and @plantenhoutgoed , with the assistance of @bureaubouwtechniek , @bureau_greisch , @mk__engineering and support and trust from, @cocof.brussels , @bouwmeestermaitrearchitecte , @urban_brussels Pictures taken by @sepidehfarvardin and Maxime Delvaux @maxdelv

We are excited to announce that we’ve been selected to conduct a two-year study on the transformation of the city gates of Bordeaux! Under the impulse of @bordeauxmetropole , and together with @grau_office , Sonia Lavadinho, CreaSpace, AltoStep, Citec and Landot & associés, we’re renewing our commitment to designing adaptive, relational and resilient environments for #Bordeaux. This project sets out to rethink the role of the city gates: no longer treating them as mere transit or service zones for the city’s inner core, but as urban territories in their own right, capable of becoming hospitable, hydrides and meaningful destinations for people. Built around a multidisciplinary team, our approach places strong emphasis on dialogue with local actors, a temporal strategy adaptable to political calendars, available resources, and the rhythms of day and night, as well as a strong commitment to ecological and social dynamics. Operationally, the methodology combines on-site residencies, workshops between local stakeholders and other European cities working on similar challenges, sociological fieldwork, mobility assessments, environmental analyses and densification strategies combined with legal and financial tools. We look forward to continuing this dialogue with Bordeaux! Pictures by @jbmenges for @bordeauxmetropole 2025, @sepidehfarvardin & @simonnicoloso

At the initiative of the President of the French Republic, the international Quartiers de Demain consultation aims to transform ten neighborhoods and create a national dynamic in support of urban policies of the 21st century. The consultation will enable the realization of projects that will have an impact across the neighborhoods and beyond, addressing the needs of local inhabitants and making an exemplary contribution to the ecological transition. @51n4e participated in the Quartier de Saige site in Pessac, which consists of the refurbishment and adaptive reuse of Tower 8, with the potential for replication, as well as the development of a green corridor linking the neighborhood to the town center and university campus. Our project aims to bring new life to this neighborhood and to reconnect with its ambitions of fifty years ago, not through grand gestures, but through a renewal grounded in what already exists. Small but precise interventions can have a significant impact. The 51N4E project for Saige is based on a simple idea: making the most of what already exists in order to fully reveal its potential. It includes a carefully renovated tower, an active ground floor with a generous new volume that allows for new productive functions, and the creation of three urban centralities that diversify uses while preserving the identity of the neighborhood. With Aïda , Artelia, @atmos.lab , Creaspace, Cronos Conseil, Diese, Egitura, @etablissement_paysage @lafayette_architectes @plancomun_ , @vpeas and @charlesdaubas Credits : 51N4E (6,10,11), @out.of.ram (1,7,8), ESAAC (2, research conducted by Suzie Poughon, Architecture in vivo), @simonnicoloso (3,4,5), Plan Común (9) @quartiersdedemain.archi @epau.archi